The Houston Astros fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura this afternoon. This is what happens when you trade a budding superstar like Willy T, I guess. Purpura also bears the responsibility for last year's stupid Preston Wilson signing and this year's stupid Carlos Lee signing, allowing Roger Clemens to hold the entire organization hostage three seasons in a row, letting Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell dessicate while providing no new offensive support around them, and supervising the failures of a string of promising minor league pitchers from Tim Redding to Taylor Buchholz. As it so happens the research department and I were at an Astros convention at Minute Maid park in March of 2005, shortly after Purpura had taken the job. We asked him some questions and we were not impressed. I remember predicting that both would be fired within two years. I was off by one.

Cecil Cooper is the new 'Stros skipper; grand old man Tal Smith will serve as interim GM.